The invention concerns a baler with a slab-shaped baling chamber and a baling piston that can move within it.
The prospectus xe2x80x9cGREENLAND Large Baler Vario Industryxe2x80x9d, no publication date, discloses a large baler with a baling chamber that can be disassembled and re-assembled in 5 cm. steps between a height of 0.65 m. and 0.8 m. In this way, bales of differing dimensions can be produced.
The problem underlying the invention is seen in the fact that a rebuilding to another chamber cross section requires approximately one working day. Furthermore at the present a greater range of chamber cross sections is being demanded.
According to the present invention, there is provided a novel, adjustable baling chamber construction for a baler that forms parallelepiped bales.
An object of the invention is to provide a baling chamber for a baler for making parallelepiped bales, constructed such that its cross section can be easily changed as desired, for example, made to conform to the size, particularly the height, of the transport vehicle available for the particular field.
A more specific object of the invention is to make an adjustable baling chamber, as defined in the previous object, constructed such that the needles and with these the entire binding arrangement is located on a movable upper part of the chamber housing so that the spacial relationship does not change during its repositioning, whereby a safe entry of the points of the needles into the knot tying device is assured.
Another object of the invention is to provide an adjustable baling chamber, as set forth in the previous objects, and in addition to provide the ability to reposition a drive, for example, a flywheel gearbox with a crank arm or a hydraulic motor in the direction of repositioning of the upper housing part of the chamber so as to make it possible to apply the force at all times to the center of the baling piston, so that this component occupies a safe end position without any tilting or binding.
Another specific object of the invention is to provide a multi-part configuration of the baling piston in addition to the adjustable baling chamber so as to make it possible to let the piston xe2x80x9cgrow alongxe2x80x9d to correspond with the repositioning of the upper part of the chamber housing, so that a baling pressure is always applied to the entire end face of the bale.
Yet another specific object of the invention is to provide a baling chamber constructed so as to have an upper housing part that is adjustable through the use of threaded spindles, spread linkages or, more advantageously, through the use of motors, particularly of remote controlled motors, since these can transmit great forces by simple means.
A suitable construction for achieving the adjustability of the baling chamber results if the side surfaces of the baling chamber are covered across their entire height; then no part of the crop to be baled can escape and cause jams. Further advantages are achieved if the side surfaces are continuous one-piece components extending from the top or from the bottom, since the result is a smooth surface with low frictional resistance; and if upper and lower walls are provided, that overlap in the vertical direction, there is the advantage that the entire side wall project neither at the top nor at the bottom. Depending on the dimensions selected, a sufficiently large vertical repositioning movement can be attained, making access to the baling chamber from the outside possible.
If the baling housing as well as the baling piston are divided horizontally and overlap, particularly in the vertical direction, so as to telescope, and a positive locking connection between each of the upper and lower components is created, for example, by means of guides, rolls and rails, then a repositioning of the upper part of the housing of the baling housing results simultaneously in a repositioning of the baling piston.
A light-weight configuration of the baler is attained by having the large components, in particular the cover or top and the bottom, as well as the side walls of the baling chamber, be configured as light-weight designs; then the forces are absorbed by but a few massive components, particularly the repositioning arrangement, which surround, carry and reposition these.
A connection of the upper part and the lower part of the baling piston in the direction in which the baling piston applies its force to the crop to be baled, has the advantage that the two parts do not shift relative to each other or transmit differing forces to the drive.
A relatively uniform transmission of the forces of the drive to the baling piston is attained by the use of two steering or guide arms that start from a common connection to the drive, for example, to the free end of a crank arm, and extend in a spread arrangement to each of the components of the baling piston.
The compliance of the position of the needles to the knot tying devices can be accomplished easily, if openings are provided in the base body through which journals can extend that carry the needle support arms and are connected with the movable part of the repositioning arrangement.
If in place of a change in the height of the bale its width is to be changed, then not only the height of the platform of the transport vehicle, but alternatively also the length and width can be considered and an optimum loading can be attained. In principle the repositioning arrangement would only be rotated through 90xc2x0 and extended in the horizontal direction. The baling piston would not be changed in its height but in its width instead. If the supply channel is made to conform in its cross section or has been provided with guide vanes, a uniform charge across the entire width is assured.